Every day for a year, starting on my 29th birthday, I did one thing I'd never done before.
Now, whenever the fancy strikes, for the rest of my life, I will be doing New Things, Things I'm Bad At, and Things That Seem Ridiculous.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The wickedly creative Noah Scalin who made a skull every day the same year I did something new every day, graciously asked me earlier this year (in an email at midnight on my birthday, fittingly and unbeknownst to him) to contribute to his second book, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal. The book is now available for purchase on Amazon, and is also probably lurking somewhere in your local independent bookstore. It's got art project ideas, recipes, advice and general inspiration for anyone who wants to commit a year of their life to creating or accomplishing anything at all. There's a big picture of me clipping a bonsai tree. I remember that.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I realized recently that this blog has lost a bit of steam. With some major life changes on the horizon, the notion of doing one new thing a day has seemed, oddly, both overwhelming and underinteresting. It was absolutely the perfect thing to do between my 29th and 30th birthdays. I learned so much, and somehow managed to carry on with it, despite all the complications of life. But now, at 32 and moving more rapidly into a distinctly adult life, and with such a satisfying challenge already behind me, I've decided to tweak the purpose of the blog a bit. I've been mulling it over for a couple of weeks. Should I do a mundane household task in a new way? No. As awesome as I'm sure the videos would be of me brushing my teeth in a handstand, or cooking while riding a pony, this doesn't jibe so well with the whole adult life thing. (Mostly, I'm mad I didn't think of this before I was 28. Because it might have been awesome.) I also thought of maybe making something new every day. But I'm not much of a Maker, and with a potential residential move coming up, it would be better not to crowd my home with a bunch of Stuff. But today it came to me. It won't be daily, and it might not always be new, and I have no time frame in mind, but it will definitely be a challenge, and something I can grow from.Starting sometime in December, every week I will try something I think I'm bad at. General ideas include cooking something complicated, playing a new instrument, joining in a new sport. I did some (or now that I think about it, All) of these things in my year of new things, but not for the purpose of getting better at them or learning anything lasting. With all my willingness to risk-take, I still have a definite Comfort Zone, and it might be nice to try to move further out of it. Added benefit: I might find out that I'm really good at something I thought I sucked at! I'm making my list and open to suggestions, especially from people who know me. You all know what I do and what I'm best at, so challenge me to do the opposite!